In Conversation with AILET topper, Ritika Ajitsaria

Ritika Ajitsaria topped the recently held All India Law Entrance Test, first in the admission list released by the National Law University, Delhi. In this interview, the student of Ashok Hall Girls’ Higher Secondary School in Kolkata, tells Bar & Bench about her preparations, what she is looking forward to, and why she decided to opt for the study of law..Bar & Bench: All India Rank 1. How does it feel?.Ritika: To be very honest, the weight of that ‘AIR 1’ didn’t sink in till quite a few hours later. It was completely unexpected, and I was too busy dealing with calls and messages at that point of time to really be able to think about what it meant..My family and friends made up for my lack of excitement in good measure though!.B&B: This will probably be a question you will be sick of hearing quite soon, but why law?.Ritika: If that’s the case I should probably think of an answer soon, because I don’t have one yet. I was nudged into law by my family mostly. And my decision was probably made when I went to leave my sister at NLSIU, Bangalore. I just fell in love with the place, and it actually made me think of law as an option. Besides that I felt that this was one profession that might give me an opportunity to do something for the society and people in general, which was something I’d always wanted out of the career I chose..B&B: So, despite being from Calcutta, NUJS is too high on your preference list. Why?.Ritika: The fact that it is in Calcutta is the reason why NUJS is not too high on my preference list. I’ve always wanted to study away from home, and while Calcutta is a great city, I think its slightly limited in terms of opportunities and exposure. Which is why NLSIU, NALSAR and NLUD rank higher on my preference list..B&B: Anything, you are really looking forward to and any thing you are not ?.Ritika: I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to mix with students from so many different parts of the country, and of course the (in)famous ‘law school culture’..The work pressure is probably something that scares me a little at this point, but nothing other than that..B&B: How did you go about preparing for the AILET and the CLAT? Did you find any substantial differences between the two?.Ritika: I took tuitions for both tests at Career Launcher and just made sure that I followed the news regularly. Besides that, I practiced a lot and solved a lot of papers, especially towards the end in April..I think both CLAT and AILET require the same kind of preparation substantially. The difference lies in the way you actually approach and solve the paper. A major factor of course, was that CLAT had negative marking this time. Apart from that, the pattern and the weightage given to different sections does make a difference..B&B: Any advice for how to go about preparing for the entrance exams?.Ritika: Practice. Practice. And some more Practice. And don’t make the mistake of leaving G.K. till the end. It’ll backfire on you as surely as the UPA will lose the 2014 elections.